My little sister Lizzy skipped into the library and promptly dumped the contents of a shopping bag onto the mahogany coffee table.
"Look what I got!" she shouted. I recognized the tell-tale logo immediately: the words "so low" embroidered inside a tiny circle, situated dead center on the backside of a pair of baby blue stretch pants. Another female youth bites the dust, I thought to myself, feigning dramatic disinterest. But I was interested. What's more, I was jealous.
It was 2003, and my sister had managed to obtain the then-current reigning pinnacle of middle school fashion trendiness. Sure, they were glorified yoga pants, and sure, I'd vowed to remain impervious to brand-oriented tween trends 4everandever, but it was growing increasingly difficult to deny myself the obvious sixth grade sex appeal of each and every "so low"-festooned rear end that pranced through the hallways of my all-girls school. So low pants were everywhere. They were cool. And yes, I wanted to get a pair.
But I never did. Always aiming for originality, I sailed through the remainder of my middle school years with a decidedly unbranded behind (ed. note: try to keep up with my mom-approved anatomy terminology synonym game). This pattern of bashful trend-yearning and subsequent trend-denial was not limited to the aforementioned so low pants. It also pertained to Juicy terrycloth sweatsuits, Paul Frank paraphernalia, Abercrombie polo shirts, corduroy mini skirts, and designer jeans. I was above it all! A paragon of brutally enforced sartorial particularity, clad in turtlenecks and homemade dangly earrings! In contrast, Lizzy freely embraced each and every one of these middle school mega-trends unashamedly without ever appearing any less original. Was I playing it all wrong?
Perhaps. Fashion is about community--a shared participation in visual appreciation and creativity--which is how and why trends are born. While there's always something to be said for originality, there is also value in indulging our innate appreciation of trends and desire to experience them ourselves, simply because it's really freaking fun to be a part of something bigger that has external life and interest and cultural relevance. In my 100% mature adult life, I've definitely allowed myself the freedom to indulge in trends, and it's happened quite a lot as a result. I should mention that Zara is my #1 enabler for this activity. I like my trends the way I like my
That being said, I have also come to the realization that, in many ways, we are equally as defined by the clothes we choose not to wear as the clothes we do choose to wear. Both choices are statement-making, and sometimes it's best to play the waiting game. While in hindsight I wouldn't necessarily deprive my 12-year-old self the purest pleasure of owning a pair of trendy yoga pants, I'm also pretty relieved I never walked around with a quasi-tramp stamp on display. But please don't hold me to that.
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